XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

Radio World

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NABLF Will Honor GEICO for Service

Posted: 09 May 2022 08:57 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/nablf-will-honor-geico-for-service


One of the most familiar brand names on radio and television will appear be
in a different spotlight next month, when GEICO will be honored for
community service.

The NAB Leadership Foundation will present the insurance company with the Corporate Leadership Award.

“Through community partnerships, development projects and conservation efforts, GEICO has established itself as a corporate leader in public service,” said Michelle Duke, president of the NAB Leadership Foundation.

The foundation cited GEICO’s GEICO Cares initiative and its FastPitch program that gives employees the opportunity to choose a charity and
solicit donations on behalf of it from GEICO. It said the GEICO
Philanthropic Foundation has donated to more than 7,000 charities over 40+ years. 

The award will be presented during the annual Celebration of Service to
America event. 

[Visit Radio World’s News and Business Page]

The Government Employees Insurance Company was established in 1936,
initially targeted to federal employees and certain categories of enlisted military officers. The company is highly recognizable today in part thanks
to its iconic advertising characters like the Caveman and the GEICO Gecko.

GEICO has a web page where you can listen to its latest radio commercials.

The post NABLF Will Honor GEICO for Service appeared first on Radio World.


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FCC Sends Pirate Radio Notices to Property Owners

Posted: 09 May 2022 07:28 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/fcc-sends-pirate-radio-notices-to-property-owners


The Federal Communications Commission has sent notices to several property owners of alleged pirate radio activities on their properties.

The letters from the Enforcement Bureau are headlined “Notice of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting.” They remind the owners that federal law now provides for fines of up to $2 million “if we determine that you have continued to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting from the property that you own or manage.”

The bureau said its agents used direction finding techniques to source
these FM signals. It mailed letters to Richard Manson for broadcasts on
103.5 MHz in Philadelphia in January; to Maria V. Hernandez of Kissimmee,
Fla., for signals on 87.9 MHz in Hazleton, Pa., in January; to Edwin and
Joyce Pitt of Baltimore, Md., for signals on 91.3 in February; and to Kent
and Deanna Coppinger for signals on 100.5 MHz in La Grande, Ore., in March.

The letters provide recipients 10 business days to show that they are “no longer permitting pirate radio broadcasting to occur at the property.” The commission also asked that the owners identify the individual(s) engaged in pirate radio broadcasting on the property.

[Related: “FCC Starts Crackdown on Pirate Landlords,” Dec. 2020]

[Related: “Lack of Funding Hampers Pirate Enforcement,” Jan. 2021]



The post FCC Sends Pirate Radio Notices to Property Owners appeared first
on Radio World.


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Radioline Places Bet on In-Car Betting

Posted: 09 May 2022 06:28 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/radioline-places-bet-on-in-car-betting

SmartRadio Drive Mode dashboard application and mobile companion application

Radio and podcast solutions provider Radioline is participating in a partnership that will enable drivers to place sports bets by voice in the
car while listening to radio play-by-play.

It is working with ConnectedTravel, a vehicle technology platform and application services developer, and Simplebet, a tech company that focuses
on live sports.

In April the three companies demonstrated the SmartRadio in-vehicle betting system at the NAB Show. They said SmartRadio is in consumer testing and
should be available more widely in the fall of 2022.

This is an example of how companies see new audio business opportunities
coming with the onset of Google’s Android Automotive system.

SmartRadio works with Android Automotive and “enables drivers and
passengers to transact with radio programming in real time, including
gamifying programming and making advertising shoppable.” The companies said they want to disrupt “radio’s century-old ‘listen-now, remember-to-follow-up-later, CPM-based advertising business model.’”

They’re doing this by trying to leverage the exploding sports betting
market.

They quoted Bryan Biniak, CEO of ConnectedTravel, saying, “The integration
of emerging technologies like voice, payments and ecommerce in vehicles
unlocks drive time, empowering drivers to instantly and safely interact
with audio programming. Drivers can play with and buy what they hear, and engage at the moments they are most inspired. Making radio transactable
will inspire a new generation of innovative in-vehicle infotainment, and measurably open the $40 billion global broadcast radio marketplace for growth.”

Simplebet created an automated operations platform and “micro-betting” system that allow fans to interact with pro and college baseball, football
and basketball games.

“Sports fans can safely bet while driving and listening to sportscasts in their car, compete with friends and other fans, earn points and win prizes
from game sponsors,” according to the announcement.

“For example, the baseball experience allows drivers and passengers to bet
on each at bat or pitch in a Dodgers game, earn points for each correct
bet, accumulate prizes for your winning streaks, and a grand prize for
earning enough points. Points can then be redeemed for goods and services
via the players mobile phone in local shops or online retailers.”

A configurable backend allows contest rules and prizes to be customized for
a sponsor’s competition.

Radioline supports radio streams and podcasts from 164 countries in 18 languages. It noted that millions of Android Automotive vehicles will be produced by major carmakers. The SmartRadio solution will be integrated
into Radioline’s Android Automotive, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay applications.

The post Radioline Places Bet on In-Car Betting appeared first on Radio
World.


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iHeartMedia Revenues Continue Climb

Posted: 08 May 2022 02:00 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/iheartmedia-revenues-continue-climb


iHeartMedia’s multi-platform strategy resulted in its first quarter revenue increasing 19.4% year-over-year to a sum of $843 million. 

Top executives at iHeart point to the growth of its digital audio group as evidence its digital transformation is working even as the broadcaster navigates a turbulent economic environment. Digital audio group revenue
totaled $214 million, which was up 36% compared to the same period a year
ago. Podcasting, which is part of the digital audio group, accounted for
10% of company revenue with $69 million in Q1 revenue ending March 30, 2022.

The company’s digital business also includes streaming products, third
party extension products, social, OTT and display advertising, according to
the company. Digital represented 25% of total company revenues in the first quarter.

Of the company’s three reportable segments, the multiplatform group, which includes its 850 radio stations, reported revenue growth of 14.9% in the
first quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year. The segment, which
also includes it network operations and live events, totaled $571.1 million
in revenue in Q1 2022.

Chairman/CEO Bob Pittman said the company’s events business continues to recover “given our ability to build new live and virtual events and the
pent up consumer and advertiser demand for these experiences.”  

The broadcaster’s Audio and Media Services Group, which includes, which includes Katz Media Group and RCS, reported $60.8 million in revenue in the first quarter, a 10% jump YoY.

“We’re pleased to report another quarter of strong results, and believe our performance is further evidence of the successful execution of our digital transformation and multiplatform strategy, and the power of our position as
the #1 audio company in America across broadcast radio, digital radio, and podcasting” Pittman said.  

Pittman continued: “We remain committed to building on iHeart’s transformation into a data-led, digitally-focused business; to investing in areas with high growth potential; and to continuing our focus on innovation
and being at the forefront of new technologies and digital platforms which create incremental growth opportunities for audio.”

[Visit Radio World’s News and Business Page]

iHeart’s diverse revenue base means the company doesn’t need to rely upon a single advertising category, which helps mitigate pockets of ad softness, Pittman said on Thursday’s earnings call with investors. 

The boost in revenue helped iHeart to an operating income of $12 million, versus an operating loss of $76 million in Q1 2021, according to the media company’s latest financial disclosure.

Capital expenditures for the three months, which ended March 31, 2022, were $22.6 million compared to $19 million during the same period in 2021.
Capital expenditures in Q1 increased primarily due to our real estate consolidation initiatives aimed at reducing its structural cost base, the company said.

“We expect to continue to examine our business for further efficiencies and modernizations, and as we adopt new technologies, we believe we will find
new ways to optimize our expense base, including our previously announced
real estate rationalization,” Pitman said.

In his preview of second quarter pacing, iHeart President/COO Rich Bresler
said he expects Q2 2022 revenues to be up approximately 10% -14% YoY
despite a slower than expected April. “We are just closing April and our consolidated revenues are up 8%,” he said.  

iHeartMedia announced earlier this week it is building out a new digital
audio ad network and has hired former Stitcher Chief Revenue Officer Sarah
van Mosel to lead it. The iHeart Audience Network (iAN) will collect advertising inventory from iHeartRadio databases and independent publishers across streaming and podcasting. 

“The iHeart Audience Network brings together broadcast, podcast and
streaming audiences at unprecedented scale, coupled with the largest sale
force in audio, provides us the capabilities for our broadcast radio to participate in the $160 billion digital sector,” Pittman said.  

iHeartMedia said in a press release iAN will allow marketers to attain
scale in their digital audio buys and give them the ability to reach addressable audiences across multiple channels and devices.

The broadcaster’s balance sheet listed $5.7 billion in total debt and $5.4 billion of net debt as of March 30, 2022.  


Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new
technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post iHeartMedia Revenues Continue Climb appeared first on Radio World.


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Workbench: Infrared Pictures Speed Troubleshooting

Posted: 07 May 2022 02:00 AM PDT https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/workbench/workbench-infrared-pictures-speed-troubleshooting


Jim Talbot handles engineering for WSYY(FM) “The Mountain 94.9” in Bangor, Maine. He has a FLIR ONE Pro add-on for his cellphone. 

We’ve written about the benefits of this kind of tool before. Though the model he uses is expensive, it can make troubleshooting easy by identifying
hot components quickly. 

Jim had an audio board that contained multiples of the same op amp mounted
on it. With the FLIR ONE Pro, he identified the bad chip quickly. Jim finds
the tool just as helpful for troubleshooting hot spots on electrical panels
and RF transmitter components.
The FLIR One Pro is a pro-grade thermal camera for smartphones.

Recently, Jim used his smartphone to troubleshoot several Nautel J1000 PA
and modulator modules. 

Despite seeing a difference in heat from the FETs, he could not feel any difference with his hand. Instead, it was the side-by-side comparison of
the FLIR ONE Pro module pictures, shown in the images, that pointed to the trouble.
These two images allow comparison of bad and good PA modules. Bright FET
spots indicate high temperature.


Be sure to check out the available versions of FLIR thermal cameras to find
one that fits your needs and budget.

One feature of the “Pro” version is that you can see the components on the module you are measuring, not just the heat signature image. Where
components are packed tightly on a board, this makes identification of the errant component easier.

Stingers that sting

We’ve received a few comments about Frank Hertel’s use of the term “stinger
strap” in his EZ Fix for a failed antenna. 

Frank says he always heard the term “stinger” used to define the component that carries the RF signal from the central RF feed connection point to the radiating antenna element(s).

In AM, the stinger — strap, wire or copper tube — is the conductor that makes the connection between the antenna tuning unit (ATU) and the AM
tower. Think of it as “stinging” the tower with RF energy.

In FM, some antennas use a “stinger strap” to connect the RF coax’s “feed
point stub” to a connection point on the FM antenna elements. In FM, these “stinger straps” are critical in their length, and the position at which they connect to the FM antenna radiating elements. Their connection
provides the best 50 Ohm match, at the desired frequency of operation.

If you happen to touch the exposed “stinger” (wire or strap) while it is radiating, you will immediately burn a hole in your fingertip, leaving you feeling like you’d been stung by a nasty bee. 

RF burns hurt all the way to the bone, and you’ll be left with a white cauterized burned spot on the tip of your finger. There will be no
bleeding, just intense pain.

Frank writes from personal experience. He takes the blame for getting
burned but adds that he had “trusted” that someone else had turned off the transmitter before he touched the conductor. They had not. 

Always use caution around live RF. At the worst it can kill you. At the
least you may be reminded of the experience for weeks or months as the burn heals.

[Check Out More of Workbench Here]

Take 555

Frank also shares a YouTube tutorial from the Element 14 online community,
in which host Karen explains how the versatile and inexpensive 555 timer IC works. 

Frank adds that Walter Jung published a book, “The IC Timer Cookbook,” many years ago. It’s still a resource for tinkerers and experienced circuit designers. Search for copies through online used bookstores.

An AM resource
An emergency AM antenna from The Radio Source.

Bill Baker is with Information Station Specialists in Michigan. He has
teamed up with Scope+Focus principal Len Watson to provide emergency AM
radio components and rentals for temporary applications.



Their website describes transmitters, antennas, support structures and
ground planes. The photo here shows one of their emergency AM antennas. The site also lists a number of AM stations that have employed these solutions successfully.

The company also maintains EventCast rental systems. These are small AM operations that include a transmitter, antenna and audio player to provide temporary broadcasts at events — “rental radio stations, ready to roll.” The equipment gives the venue the ability to speak to arriving patrons
using TIS rules. Learn more here. 

Useful utility

I recently encountered some Windows update issues. Coincidentally,
Workbench contributor Paul Sagi in Kuala Lumpur sent in the following note: “At a command prompt in Windows, type systeminfo followed by Enter. You’ll get a list of system information, including Windows updates. Those are file names beginning with KB.”

Paul also commented about our column back in March 2021 in which Marc Mann described a “Phone Phreaking Box” built with Radio Shack parts. For Paul the article brought back memories of Ma Bell calling his parents to
complain about his “testing” of the phone system. Paul had discovered the phone numbers he could dial to obtain tones that he could use to test his
own audio equipment. Very handy before he built his own signal generator!


John Bisset, CPBE, has more than 50 years in broadcasting and is in his
32nd year writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the
Telos Alliance and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. 

Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email johnpbisset@gmail.com. 

The post Workbench: Infrared Pictures Speed Troubleshooting appeared first
on Radio World.

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